From “Nature” in The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“The inhabitants of cities suppose that the country landscape is pleasant only half the year. I please myself with the graces of the winter scenery, and believe that we are as much touched by it as by the genial influences of summer….
“To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before and which shall never be seen again. The heavens change every moment, and reflect their glory or gloom on the plains beneath.”
From “Wild Peaches” by Elinor Wylie in Three Centuries of American Poetry edited by Allen Mandelbaum and Robert D. Richardson:
“The spring begins before the winter’s over.”
As we approach the end of January, I’ve posted a few photos taken during the unseasonably warm first half of the month (the unseasonable warmness didn’t last), where I found surprising bits of color among the more muted tones of winter.
The mahonia (in the second gallery below) was a striking mix of winter and spring, with yellow flower clusters growing among green leaves, surrounded by other leaves that apparently felt the cold more and had turned deep purple. I also found a rare pair of yellow daffodils, looking a little tentative but nevertheless quite adorable in their willingness to sneak out of the ground this time of year. And the two roses — southern roses are pretty resilient — seemed unaware that a cold snap was on the way, even though their stems were mottled and faded as they tend to get when the nights are cool. I guess they might have been thinking that winter was just an illusion….
Thanks for taking a look!
Beautiful pictures and I totally agree beauty can be found at any time and any season.
Thank you! And I am almost out of new photos, so I’ll start exploring for more this week. I guess winter brings out the hunter-gatherer in me … at least, the flower-hunter-gatherer!
Thanks for the comment!
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Beautiful.
Thank you!
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Sometimes we just need to look hard enough for the beauty we all seek:)
So true! One of my favorite things about heading out with a zoom or macro lens is finding bits of color that I don’t even see with my unaided eyes.
Thanks for leaving a comment!
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Amazing to think of roses this time of year. The colors are much appreciated, and excellent photos, as always.
Thank you!
I was a little surprised by the roses; they looked like they’d just opened, maybe the day before, and were in really good condition. We’ve had some very cold nights since, but a warm week ahead… so I’ll likely check to see if there are any more, or any other unexpected bloomers.
Thanks for the comment!